Crayfish get a claw in technology

Deliciously spicy crayfish is a popular Chinese delicacy, especially as a late-night snack served at their peak succulence in the warmer months.

In Qianjiang city, Central China's Hubei province, one of China's largest crayfish production areas, it is possible to sample fresh crayfish year-round.

"Thanks to new farming technologies, we're able to regulate the quantity, quality and harvesting of crayfish in winter and ensure their healthy growth and stable production all year," says Li Mingbo, deputy director of the Hubei Crayfish Industry Technology Research Institute.

Based in Qianjiang, the institute has systematically focused on new technologies since the end of 2022. Li and his team have broken through technical bottlenecks through trial and error.

He explains that the traditional peak harvest season for crayfish is from April to June, with scarce supply in autumn and winter. This results in market oversupply, volatile prices and short earning periods for farmers.

"The key is to address the issues of poor quality and low yields in winter, when the crayfish have the habit of becoming dormant at low temperatures," says Li.

Crayfish are traditionally raised in ponds or paddy fields. In extreme heat or cold, they burrow into mud to protect themselves and stop growing and gaining weight. Females also use these burrows for reproduction and nurturing their young.

According to Li, the new breeding model requires farmers to first upgrade their ponds or paddy fields. The area can be divided into a breeding zone and a grow-out zone by building ridges and installing barrier nets to prevent crayfish from burrowing and to control their stocking density.

"Maintaining an appropriate stocking density is crucial," Li says.

He explains that excessively low density results in wasted feed and reduced yields. If the density is too high, crayfish will damage aquatic vegetation, degrade the pond environment, and suffer from stunted growth, ultimately producing small crayfish with poor meat quality.

"By selecting high-quality brood-stock crayfish and adopting scientific measures, we can achieve a self-sufficient supply of crayfish larvae," he says.

Li and his team are promoting technologies to help farmers supply their own crayfish larvae and raise crayfish year-round.

According to him, self-produced larvae are safer and more stable, can reduce farming costs, and can help control crayfish breeding.

In addition, Li says it is essential to provide nutritious feed for crayfish in winter to ensure they can molt and grow properly and maintain plump, firm flesh.

He explains that this is an eco-friendly farming model. Rice straw in paddy fields is turned into high-quality natural crayfish feed. In ponds, they plant suitable aquatic plants and regulate water quality to improve breeding and environmental conditions.

In 2025, Qianjiang established 120 demonstration sites for crayfish farming in paddy fields that yield year-round harvests, covering a total area of about 333.33 hectares, setting an example and encouraging more farmers to join in. The city's crayfish output from November to February is expected to exceed 26,000 metric tons.

Besides policy support, the city government regularly organizes training for local crayfish farmers and provides subsidies to boost their enthusiasm.

"The price of crayfish in winter is at least double or triple that in summer. I've earned more money," says Li Fujian, 59, a crayfish farmer in Qianjiang.

According to the Qianjiang Crayfish Trading Center, the sales of crayfish around the Spring Festival holiday in 2025 reached more than 3,300 tons, and it is estimated that this figure increased by 10 percent during this year's holiday.

"This winter, crayfish breeding technology is more mature, the farming area has been further expanded, and the crayfish output has increased," says Guo Song, office director of the trading center.

Dong Xinghua, manager of the flagship branch of Shrimp King, a crayfish restaurant chain headquartered in Qianjiang, says that live crayfish in winter have been available in the restaurant since December 2024. This winter, the supply is abundant. "About 70 percent of our sold dishes are made from larger-sized live crayfish, while the remaining 30 percent are flash-frozen crayfish."

"This year, we received the highest number of Chinese New Year's Eve dinner reservations, with over 160 tables. Many customers chose us because they could enjoy fresh, live crayfish," she says.

According to Dong, customers during the Spring Festival holiday included out-of-town visitors from all over the country, as well as local residents and people from nearby areas who returned home for the holiday.